- December 13, 2025
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What was once a secluded, private-feeling stretch of North Casey Key Road is now punctuated by three C's: a crane, cones and “caution: construction zone” signs.
Orange and white barriers block off work areas between the road and the shore, where crews are creating a temporary seawall.
The work is part of a more than $40 million project Sarasota County authorized this spring to repair a 0.53-mile stretch of North Casey Key Road damaged during the 2024 hurricane season. Officials expect the project to be complete in March 2027.
In some ways, the work is a sign of the times: From north Longboat to Venice Beach, pockets of road work, landscaping and more dot the landscape, a symbol of hurricane and storm recovery. Casey Key is in the middle of all that action.
There are two major issues the project aims to address on North Casey Key Road, north of Blackburn Point Road: voids undermine the existing road, for one, and also the current barrier is damaged and does not provide sufficient erosion protection for the road, which runs along the Gulf.
Over the next two years, a new stretch of North Casey Key Road will be installed and so will a permanent seawall that will provide protection against future storm events. During the course of construction, a temporary road detour will be installed along the shoreline, which will be removed when the work is complete.
Miami-based highway and bridge construction company The de Moya Group signed a $44.59 million contract this spring to make permanent repairs to the shoreline and roadway on Casey Key. The company had also made about $6 million in emergency repairs to Casey Key Road in September 2024 following hurricanes Debby and Helene.
Within the scope of the latest project are two sections of North Casey Key Road: the north segment is 0.38 miles between 846 and 526 North Casey Key Road, while the south segment is 0.15 miles from 332 to 230 North Casey Key Road.
Staging, mobilization and materials purchasing for the project began in late April and early May, according to Sarasota County officials.
To make way for the necessary equipment, part of the Nokomis Beach parking lot near the playground was closed at the end of April. Now a barge and heavy machinery are stationed there. A smaller staging area is also located at Blackburn Point Park.
The activity has caused various disruptions in and around Casey Key. With a section of the Nokomis Beach parking lot closed for equipment staging, for example, beachgoers have in some cases sought out spots across the bridge on Albee Road — to the dismay of one local business owner.
“The work across the way has caused issues for us in so many ways,” says Tommy Adorna, owner of Pelican Alley restaurant. For one, it is costing him financially. “Beach patrons continuously try to park in my parking lot, and my customers have no overflow parking. My employees have no parking.”
One of the draws of Pelican Alley is its waterfront location. According to Adorna, the views have been compromised due to the equipment for the Casey Key Road project. “As you can see, the park has become a giant eyesore,” Adorna says. “We lived through two major hurricanes only for the county to hit us when we are down.”
To reconstruct North Casey Key Road, which also was damaged in the hurricanes, there will be three phases of construction, according to county officials.
In the first phase — happening now — a new seawall is being constructed. Traffic is reduced to a single lane on the existing road around the work, which is mainly taking place between the road and the shore. A temporary bulkhead and temporary fill are also being installed.
In the second phase, a temporary road will be built so crews can make repairs to North Casey Key Road. A date has not been set yet for when the second phase will begin, Sarasota County transportation and capital projects officials say. Work on phase two, officials add, “will begin once all necessary permits for the permanent work have been acquired by the design-build team.”
During the final phase of construction, the temporary road and bulkhead will be removed, replaced with a stone riprap barrier, which is used to protect shorelines against water erosion.
